The National Investigation Agency on Friday arrested three persons wanted in the murder of Praveen Nettaru, a BJP Yuva Morcha leader in Dakshina Kannada district, NIA sources said.

The arrested have been identified as Mohammad Mustafa, also known as Mustafa Paichar, Siraj and Ilyhas of Somwarpet in Kodagu district, the sources said.

Both Mustafa and Ilyhas had been sheltered by Siraj of Sakleshpur in Hassan district, they said.

"While Mustafa and Ilyhas were arrested by the NIA for involvement in the Praveen Nettaru murder case, Siraj was arrested for sheltering them", an NIA official said.

Nettaru was hacked to death by cadres of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) at Bellare village in Sullia Taluk on July 26, 2022.

According to NIA sources, Mustafa was a resident of Shanti Nagar in Sullia and was a key PFI leader of Kerala, "He was involved in promoting PFI in Karnataka, particularly in Dakshina Kannada," the NIA official said.

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